Most exercise equipment is designed with a relatively specific purpose in mind. For example, the present invention is directed to aerobic exercise. While there are numerous prior art devices directed to providing a user with aerobic exercise, most of the currently available art suffers from one or more of the following shortcomings:
Many machines provide only exercise for a limited number of major muscle groups, and/or the range of motion provided in the exercise is limited. This means that this type of equipment is at best designed to be used in conjunction with other machines, and cannot provide a full aerobic workout.
Some machines, particularly those designed to simulate running, include the drawbacks of running such as high impact on the user's joints. It is well known that high impact exercises can easily lead to injuries. It is also critical for injury avoidance that the exercise machine not induce any additional stress on a user's back.
Finally, many exercise machines have a relatively long learning curve. Because the exercise motion that the machines use is foreign to a user, the user must learn the motion before he can achieve any effective exercise. This can be discouraging to a user, particularly to a novice.
There are several examples in the prior art of aerobic exercise machines that are directed to providing a full body aerobic workout for the user. Following are some examples:
The "Recumbent Total Body Exerciser", by Hildebrandt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,356, issued Oct. 18, 1994. This device positions a user in a seated position and does provide the opportunity for a full-body workout. One of the drawbacks of this, and many of the stationary bikes, is that the driving impetus for the upper body portion of the workout must be provided solely through the hands. Since the hands are the weakest, most fragile parts of the upper body, providing driving impetus solely through the hands leads to an increased possibility of injury to the user. Moreover, the user's hands are likely to tire before an efficient workout is accomplished.
Another shortcoming of machines such as the Hildebrandt et al. device is that it does not support the user's back. In that it is estimated that 80-90% of all adults will experience back problems at some time in their lives, this is a rather serious issue.
One exercise machine that provides a means for back support is the "Apparatus for Performing Coordinated Walking Motions with the Spine in an Unloaded State" by Iams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,261, issued Jan. 22, 1991. This machine places the user in a completely supine position, which removes any load from the user's back. However, a user of this machine is placed in an unnatural position for exercise, and thereby requires some learning period to feel comfortable using the machine. Moreover, the upper body exercise must again be obtained solely through the hands.
Another device directed to a cycling motion exercise is the "Floating Back Pad Leg Exerciser" by Habing, U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,583, issued Aug. 29, 1995. This machine does provide back support with a "floating" back pad which moves with the user. However, there is no means for exercise of the upper body.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aerobic exercise machine that allows the user to achieve full-body exercise.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine that allows the user to maintain the exercise motion even with an injured, incapacitated, or missing limb.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the user with adequate back support so that additional stress is not placed on the user's back.
It is a still further object to provide a means for a user to achieve a full-body workout without applying undue stress to the user's hands.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine that is space efficient and aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the machine must be easily manufactured and durable.